A Monroe County judge in Florida ruled on Thursday that two Key West bartenders and other gay couples must be allowed to marry. Of course, this means the world is coming to an end.

Monroe County Chief Circuit Judge Luis M. Garcia ordered the county clerk’s office to begin issuing marriage licenses to gay couples as early as Tuesday morning. In doing so, he sided with Aaron Huntsman and William Lee Jones, who argued that the ban on same-sex marriage in the Florida Constitution violated their rights under the U.S. Constitution, The Washington Post reported.

“The court is aware that the majority of voters oppose same-sex marriage, but it is our country’s proud history to protect the rights of the individual, the rights of the unpopular and rights of the powerless, even at the cost of offending the majority,” Garcia wrote in his decision.

Garcia’s order would allow same-sex couples from around the state to go to the Keys to get married.

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi is having none of that. Bondi quickly filed a notice of appeal on Thursday which put Garcia’s ruling on hold.

“With many similar cases pending throughout the entire country, finality on this constitutional issue must come from the U.S. Supreme Court,” Bondi said in a statement.

Conservative Christian groups vowed to protect Florida’s definition of marriage as being between one man and one woman.

Huntsman and Jones, who met at a gay pride celebration and have been a couple for 11 years, said, “I can’t believe it finally happened,” said Jones. “Love is love. It doesn’t matter if it’s a guy and woman or two women or two men. Love is love.”

Conservatives say they will do everything they can to make sure the answer remains a resounding “no,” and blasted Garcia’s ruling Thursday as another overreach by an activist judge.

Anthony Verdugo, executive director of the Christian Family Coalition of Florida, called the ruling a “corrupt decision,” and a “judicial lynching of nearly 8 million Florida voters” who voted to ban same-sex marriage in 2008.

John Stemberger, who led that 2008 campaign, said he would keep fighting.

“This is an issue worth dying for,” said Stemberger, president and general counsel of the Florida Family Policy Council in Orlando. “Every domestic partnership, every single civil union, every couple that cohabitates, these arrangements dilute and devalue marriage.”

Stemberger said he wasn’t “daunted” by Garcia’s ruling, nor was he surprised.

“The court was very hostile to our position,” he said. “This is a very sad day for Floridians. This is an entirely illegitimate process. The judge had no legal authority in this decision.”

(my bold)

Watch:

A Christian minister recently knelt down at a strip-mall parking lot, outside a dollar store, beauty salon and pharmacy, then doused himself with gasoline and lit himself on fire. He spent his life preaching against racism and homophobia while promoting social justice.

What I’m saying is, no one is stopping Stemberger from making a dramatic statement.

What this guy really means is not HIS death, but the deaths of those he deems to be devaluing his notion of marriage. Christians always like killing people who don’t believe like they do.

Clyde Wolf

It’s usually the atheists who do the killing after allowing debauchery to run amuck. Dude, you are a fool and I’m not even overtly religious…

Karl Hubb

Crying Wolf a lot there are you… religion screws up everything and always has

Clyde Wolf

So does irreligion and a lot worse. That is why all the great teachers taught balance. Even Jesus. All of them. And Jesus knew that His teachings would be perverted. That’s what man does, they pervert the Truth…

Clyde Wolf

There are other way more important and pending issues that NEED to be addressed like yesterday…

burqa

Bunya: “I didn’t call you bigoted or intolerant. ”

You did when you lumped me in with the rest when you said:

“we love the compassion these people have for their fellow man, yet we hate the bigotry and intolerance these same people bestow on their fellow man.”

I would be one of those “same people.”

Then, beginning with a quote from me:

“”If both sides were more consistent in speaking out against those with
irrational hate, even when it comes from an ideological ally, we would
see more progress.”

Sure – in a perfect world. But we live in a world where human emotion supersedes common sense discussion.”

I agree with you. It is difficult and takes time to change attitudes. Lumping all Christians in with those who make objectionable statements does not help. The way to fight fire is with water, not more fire.

Again, starting with a quote from me:

“” …but I see that attacking Christians is in fashion on the Left.”

Really? Have you seen some of the vile, disgusting insults hurled at atheists (and others) by Christians on this site? Trust me, kooky Christians abound here (I think they come here to deliberately start trouble), and I will defend anybody who is the target of their abuse.”

I doubt those insults and vile statements are coming from the Left. I will be more careful to watch for such statements and will oppose them. I think we can agree that this sort of talk only gums up the works and prevents the sort of resolution needed.
And I don’t take what you’ve said personally. Quite the opposite, I appreciate the way you engage in the discussion with me and the consideration you give to what I have to say. I don’t think we’re that far apart.

Clyde Wolf

Why is it that almost all who approve also have to bash a being they believe doesn’t exist? Isn’t that kind of nuts?

Steve Quinney

The being is not who’s being bashed. The people who act like bigoted and ignorant numbskulls in the name of these beings are who’s being bashed.

makkabee

Other people have thought keeping black people in chains was a cause worth dying for, or making their homelands “judenrein” (Jew free), or keeping little girls illiterate. History will condemn all of them, just like they condemn this schmuck.

bardgal

If you allow anyone else’s marriage to effect yours, you’re doing it wrong.

Steve Quinney

Isn’t it sort of factual to say that the thing that most dilutes the institution of marriage is the astronomical divorce rate in America?

Notforgotten47

easy fix just don’t think of your marriage like your, they are a gay fake marriage you have a real one.